Raumviran
Appearing as the opposite of their Tuigan neighbors, the Raumvirans are peaceable human merchants settled around the Lake of Mists who trace their ancestry back to the ancient magical empire of Raumathar. Although Raumviran culture has diminished greatly since Raumathar’s fall, a handful of Raumvirans seek to preserve the ancient arts of Raumathari battlemages and Raumviran conjurers. Once common in the lands west and south of the Endless Waste, the Raumvirans are much reduced in population today. Raumvirans regard the accomplishments and excesses of their Raumathari ancestors with a mixture of pride and humility. They have seen the folly of excessive ambition and experienced the centuries of slow decline that inexorably follow the collapse of an overreaching empire. Most Raumvirans are content with their current lives. They suffered little in the Horde War and continue to profit from the steady flow of trade along the Golden Way. Some Raumvirans retain their ancestors’ hunger for adventure and mastery over magic, and these few are the ones most o��en encountered outside the Lake of Mists region. History The fall of Imaskar in –2488 dr caused great tumult throughout eastern Faerûn and the Endless Waste that divide the western realms from the kingdoms of Kara-Tur. The Raumvirans, a tribe native to the Lake of Mists region and known for its skill in summoning magic and mastery of forging steel, had long served as proxies for the Imaskari, keeping the scattered tribes of the Endless Waste in check. The collapse of the Imaskari Empire le�� the Raumvirans dangerously exposed to the wrath of the other tribes, forcing them to withdraw north and west. A thousand years later, the Raumvirans remained fierce warriors who retained the arts of forging steel and casting summoning spells, but who had otherwise dwindled in number so as to be just one of many barbarian tribes in the region. Over the course of the next two centuries, the Raumvirans gradually conquered much of the Endless Waste, while the Nars extended their rule south and west along the shores of the Easting Reach. By –900 dr, the Raumvirans had established the empire of Raumathar, with its capitol at Winterkeep, stretching from the northern tip of Lake Ashane to the western shore of the Great Ice Sea and from Sossal to the Lake of Mists. Frequent conflict with Narfell, a neighboring empire of demon-summoners, eventually led to the destruction of Raumathar. In –150 dr, the summoning of numerous powerful monsters and minor deities consumed both empires in a great conflagration. The remaining Raumvirans descended into barbarism, although Raumviran civilization survives in Almorel and Drubiev—thanks primarily to ongoing trade with the dwarves of Siremun and the steady trickle of trade that passed along the Golden Way. In the years that followed the conquests of the Horde, a surge in trade has brought both wealth and a flowering of Raumviran culture among its populace. Once again traders are crossing the Endless Waste in large numbers, bringing gold, knowledge, and magic lore. New Raumviran villages are springing up around the southern shores of the Lake of Mists. Almorel and Drubiev are flourishing, all of which encourages the Raumvirans to rediscover and develop their ancient heritage. Outlook: Raumvirans view life as series of challenges to be overcome. Respect and status must be earned, and, as such, never squandered foolishly. They believe strongly in the inevitability of life balancing out over time. Those who seek glory inevitably court disaster, while those who fail miserably will invariably rise to succeed. Characters Raumvirans have a long-standing warrior tradition, dating back to before their fall into barbarism. Rangers, fighters, and warriors play prominent roles in Raumviran society. Barbarians are not unknown, but uncommon, appearing far from settled areas in the steppes along the Golden Way. Raumvirans accord arcane spellcasters great respect, particularly conjurers, sorcerers, and practitioners of battle magic. Clerics, druids, paladins, and monks are rare, as Raumvirans have no strong tradition of organized religion beyond the veneration of elemental powers. Rogues are fairly common in Raumviran settlements along the Golden Way, with most making their living stealing from traveling merchants. Society: Raumviran society is generally lawful, respecting the importance of honest dealings in trade. Religious and class divisions are almost unknown among the insular Raumvirans. Visitors are treated respectfully, if a little coldly, but are rarely welcomed to join their communities. Raumvirans greatly esteem individuals who demonstrate fortitude through contests of physical and martial prowess. Schooling is uncommon, except among those who study the glories of fallen Raumathar. Language and Literacy: Raumvirans generally speak Common and Raumvira, a tongue commonly used around the Lake of Mists. Appearance: Raumvirans are typically stocky and muscular, averaging just under six feet in height. Males are hirsute with thick black beards. Raumvirans bear a strong resemblance to their Rashemi kin, although they usually stand a few inches taller and have fairer complexions. Arms and Equipment Raumvirans have long-standing trade relations with the Siremun dwarves of the Firepeaks, and, as such, often employ dwarf-forged metal arms and armor. Raumvirans typically wear fur hats, fur boots, and silk tunics lined with fur. Curiously, the last are often adorned with intricate runic designs characteristic of the robes of Shou courtiers. Magic and Magic Lore The Raumvirans have a strong spellcasting tradition, stemming from Imaskari, Mulan, and Raumathari influences. Most Raumviran arcane spellcasters are either conjurers or sorcerers who later adopt the Raumathari battlemage prestige class (see Unapproachable East). Raumviran conjurers favor elemental creatures. Demon summoning is associated with ancient Narfell, historic enemies of the Raumathari, and is therefore strongly discouraged. Deities: In the tradition of ancient Raumathar, most Raumvirans venerate the elemental gods: Akadi (air), Grumbar (earth), Kossuth (fire), and Istishia (water). Foremost among these is Istishia, followed closely by Akadi. Relations Due of their proximity to the Tuigan, Raumvirans enjoy close ties with the tribes of the Endless Waste. Raumvirans are adept traders and artful negotiators with a reputation for fairness and honesty. They have long lived alongside the dwarves of the Firepeaks, and there are close and longstanding relations between the two groups. Lore The Raumathari began as a mounted, nomadic people (much as their age-old rivals the Nars did, and later returned to), and became skilled fighters, specializing in lance and sling-work from horseback, and later the use of throwing knives (BIG throwing knives, curved like the kukris of the real-world Gurkhas) and small horse-bows. There were sorcerers among the Raumathari, and eventually some of these rose to become battle-leaders. The Raumathari, by the way, respected personal ability over gender or family, which was one of the reasons they grew to wealth, power, and sophistication so quickly: they paid collective attention to new ideas and successes, seldom subverting them due to jealousies, clan loyalties, or corrupt desires to remain in power. The brightest Raumathari sorcerers saw that their spells were limited by their own inspiration and experimentations (and that opportunities to do the latter in anything close to safety were VERY limited) and set about trying to capture and even seduce wizards from other realms and peoples, so as to gain access to existing magical knowledge. In a few (but enough) cases, these attempts were successful, and (again, the Raumathari respecting ability over origins; there was very little negative opinion of 'outlander' wizards) in a few generations the Raumathari had trained up respectable numbers of wizards from among their own people. Yes, one COULD make a "Raumathari battle-wizard" a prestige class, but I wouldn't, because I view them as varying so much in ability from individual to individual (see two paragraphs below). Raumathari battle-wizards should be dual-classed wizard/fighters, always beginning as fighters and then, once they demonstrated both interest and aptitude, slowly learning useful-in-battle spells from fellow fighters who'd already mastered some magic. Those Raumathari wizards and sorcerers who had no taste for battle wouldn't be battle-wizards: they'd be tapestry-makers or woodcarvers or scribes or whatever, who were also wizards or sorcerers. As for questions about organization, tactics, favoured magic items, and typical levels: forgive me, but this is an overly modern, real-world way of looking at things. To me, it seems like asking: "All of the men in the world: how are they organized, what are their tactics, and what items do they most often use?" The Raumathari began as nomadic warriors and achieved early success as mercenaries. They valued individual achievement, and the sharing of useful skills and knowledge throughout all Raumathari... so there were no "typical levels" of anyone or anything, and (aside from mobility, striking from horseback and always moving in battle -- until they had cities to defend) their tactics varied greatly from group to group, following what had worked for that particular group, and experimenting with what they'd heard had worked for other groups. Always of great importance among the Raumathari were sorcerers (and later wizards, too) who could use magic to communicate across great distances, between Raumathari communities and armies and caravans. So a Raumathari battle group would be a cavalry unit organized around, and protecting, those Raumathari who had communication and healing magic, and led by the most competent battle-veterans. Sorcerers and wizards among them would hurl spells from horseback, or halt while others held their horses, dismount, cast spells as swiftly as possible, and ride on again. One of the reasons Raumathar ultimately fell was that the Raumathari developed very few magic items, so what they did have would be whatever they'd seized from others or gained in trade. I suppose you could describe a lot of Raumathari tactics as "hit and run." They were particularly fond of striking unexpectedly from the rear, and then vanishing again, riding off to rush in later, again and again, rather than standing to fight and be hammered at by a prepared foe in prepared formations and terrain position. I suppose a typical Raumathari battle-wizard would have four or five levels as some sort of warrior (if you have or use prestige classes for mounted archers, apply them) before gaining a level as a wizard, and thereafter progress as opportunities afforded (both for magical tutelage and for battle experience). So if a battle-group was thirty or forty riders strong, about a dozen would be low-level novices (as some sort of warrior, with no spellcasting ability), three or so would be powerful fighter/wizard dual-classes, another two would be good riders who were either clerics or arcane spellcasters with long-range communication or translocation (teleport) magics, and the rest would be whatever mounted warrior class you think best fits, of levels 3 through 7, with a quarter to a third of them also having a few levels as a wizard or a sorcerer. Category:Raumvirans